led up; leading up; leads up
Examples of lead-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Audiences had binged Tiger King in 2020, following the lead-up to Joe Exotic’s conviction for hiring someone to kill Carole Baskin, his competitor in the big cat world.
—Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026
Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026
The actor also showcased two classic sneaker styles by Adidas — Stan Smiths and Samba OG sneakers — at recent Knicks playoffs games, leading up to the reveal of the World Cup short film he was featured in by the German athletic brand.
—Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 22 May 2026
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Noun
Roy and Middleton criticized each other in the lead-up to Tuesday's runoff vote, which was triggered after neither Roy nor Middleton earned more than 50% of the vote during the March 3, 2026 primary.
—Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Audiences had binged Tiger King in 2020, following the lead-up to Joe Exotic’s conviction for hiring someone to kill Carole Baskin, his competitor in the big cat world.
—Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026
Verb
Saleh shook off his 0-for-3 day leading up to the pivotal at-bat and was ready to pounce.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026
The actor also showcased two classic sneaker styles by Adidas — Stan Smiths and Samba OG sneakers — at recent Knicks playoffs games, leading up to the reveal of the World Cup short film he was featured in by the German athletic brand.
—Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lead-up
Cite this Entry
“Lead-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lead-up. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lead up
verb
: to make a gradual approach to a topic
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